Wren and Kiran flew as fast as her ship could take her toward Nessus. Kiran had picked up an SOS from Sundance and the pair of them were anxious to get there. What could have possibly happened to make Cayde give off an SOS in the first place?
"Have you heard anything else?" Wren asked as they neared the surface.
"No. Just the same signal over and over. I can't even reply to it. It's so strange… Nessus is a centaur. There shouldn't be anything here at all. I wonder why Cayde came here."
"How's your new shell?" she asked and he twisted it around this way and that, the metal still shiny and new. A gift from Zavala for their work on Titan.
"I'm still getting used to it. I miss my cute little spikes but that old shell was so beat up it was hard to move around in."
"Well, I think you look handsome."
As they neared the area the signal was boosted from Wren could see that Nessus was more than just a rock floating on the edge of the system. She and Kiran set down atop a tall pillar and the ship departed.
From on high she could see the way the Vex had affected the planet. If she could rightly call it that. Kiran had called it a centaur but she didn't understand that that was. The land formations were perfectly cut squares with thick red vegetation on top. Waterfalls, massive sprawling trees, and birds gave it all an oddly organic feel.
"I should be able to pinpoint Cayde's location from here," Kiran said.
"Is that a wrecked ship over there?" Wren asked as she neared the edge of the spire.
"I found a signal!" Kiran spun.
Cayde's voice came over the comms, shaky and crackling with interference.
"In over my head…. Vex trap… Failsafe?"
"Vex trap?" Kiran asked. "What has Cayde gotten himself into?"
"It doesn't matter. Where is the signal coming from?"
"That wrecked ship you noticed. It's coming from there."
"But that doesn't make sense. It's not Cayde's ship."
"Beats me. Let's get to it and I'll see what I can do."
Wren took a running leap off the side of the spire, falling so fast that her breath caught in her throat. She boosted close to the bottom and landed gently beside a deep chasm. She peered over into it.
"I really hate it when you do that."
"You'd think you'd be used to it by now."
"Well, I'm not. How deep do you think that is?"
"No idea. Let's get to the ship."
They neared the wreck with caution, but it was obviously very old. It was scarred up, half covered in rubble, and rusted through in sections. She made her way toward the cockpit to find some sort of system Kiran might be able to hack into.
She neared a panel and knelt beside it when it flashed to life and a voice spoke, clearly and happily.
"Hello! Are you here to rescue the Cayde-6 unit?"
Wren was startled and jumped back, nearly falling off the ship.
"Well, that's not Cayde," Kiran muttered.
"The Cayde-6 is stuck in a teleportation loop!" she eagerly explained. "He's over there. Whoops! Now he's over there!"
"That's complicated," Kiran said.
"I can help you!" the voice offered, quite pleased, but then her tone shifted to a more depressed one. "But I'm going to be super unpleasant about it."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"I have uploaded new coordinates to you. Against my better judgement."
"Uh.. okay?"
"Thanks. Really," Wren said, heading toward the coordinates provided.
"Wren, are you sure we can trust her?" Kiran whispered.
"I don't see that we have much choice."
Wren made her way to a crevice between two walls, sheer sides going up so high that it made her dizzy to look up. Oddly, most of the vegetation here was a bright crimson color, speckled with some greens on larger ferns. The water seemed clean as well but she wasn't about to test that assumption.
"This is so very exciting," the voice said. "Just a barrel of laughs."
"I'm sorry," Kiran began, "but are you alright? You sound a little… off."
"I am the Exodus Black's failsafe," she replied in her cheerful tone. "Call me Failsafe! I boosted the Cayde-6's signal in hopes that he would be rescued and here you are!"
"Oh, I see. She's an AI. A malfunctioning AI…"
"I heard that," Failsafe muttered. "At your service!"
Ahead Wren could see a round Vex construct cut into the ground, like a tunnel into the surface of the centaur. As she went, Kiran and Failsafe continued their banter but she wasn't interested in joining them. Cayde was here. Somewhere. And she was getting closer to finding him.
"Centaurs are supposed to be icy rocks," Kiran said. "How did all this happen?"
"A robotic entity called the Vex have achieved 92.014 percent conversion of the centaur Nessus," Failsafe said.
Down into the pit she found herself in a cavern that was just as much Vex metal structures as it was natural formation. The odd orange glow from Vex lights stood out against the natural green haze that filled the area. She jumped over obstacles and in the next section of the cave she could see a circular platform with odd lights and a pedestal in the middle with a glowing conflux. Beside it, hovering in fractalized light, was Cayde.
"Cayde!" Kiran gasped as Wren picked up her pace.
She slid and stumbled down a rocky embankment and onto the platform when the light he was trapped in grew brighter.
"Don't ask how this happened," he said. "I don't have time to explain what I don't have time to—"
His voice cut off and he was gone.
"Dammit!" Wren yelled but panels on the walls all around her began to glow.
"Warning! The Vex will vaporize you," Failsafe said happily.
Vex appeared all around the area but they were easy enough to deal with. Single shots with the Better Devils dropped them where they stood. Against the walls of the cavern were Vex gates where several more Goblins and a few Minotaurs came through.
Whatever Cayde had been doing here, it was more than enough to piss the Vex off. They came inn a few waves, but Wren was too focused on getting rid of them to spend time being cautious. She was glad the rest of Cerulean wasn't around because grenades and knives flew in every direction with little thought as to where they were going.
She had to find him again. Get to him before he teleported away and she didn't stop her onslaught until she was standing in a pile of Goblins that had been reduced to little more than shredded metal and sparking wires in pools of their own radiolarian.
"Sending new coordinates," Failsafe offered, and Wren was off again, running through the caves, ignoring the claustrophobic feeling they gave her.
"So Failsafe, what happened here?" Kiran asked.
"The Cayde-6 attempted to manipulate the Vex portal system. Now he's trapped in a non-linear loop!
In my defense, I tried to warn him. He's like… not that smart."
Wren ignored the jab at Cayde's intelligence and continued through the caves. At least Failsafe was trying to help, even if she was a bit screwy. Besides, Kiran and Failsafe's banter took her mind off the fact that the caves were getting smaller. Darker.
"How long have you been here?" Kiran asked.
"Long enough to see the Vex transform this planetoid, kill most of the living organisms, reformat molecules, and digitize brainwaves for further study. It's a fascinating process!"
"She sounds a little too excited about that," Kiran muttered.
"I have a bigger issue," Wren said. She'd come out into what very well could have been the center of the centaur. "I think this is the core."
The interior was vast and glowed a bright red. To her left was a floating ball of fiery energy with boulders floating inside its gravitational pull. To the left were Vex built walls that could help her make the descent to Failsafe's coordinates. If there was only so much time to get Cayde, how long would she be chasing him around this damn planetoid? She was ready to have him back!
"Just be careful," Kiran said. "I can't see the bottom, but that doesn't mean there isn't one."
"You'd have plenty of time to regret bad footing," Failsafe chirped.
"Yeah… Thanks for that."
Wren found her way around, hugging close to the wall, then saw a good number of Vex on the platform below. Hobgoblins, Goblins, and Minotaurs patrolling the area. Perhaps they knew she was here, looking for Cayde. Either way, she planned on sneaking around them. Keeping tight to the wall she climbed and crawled over small outcroppings until she bypassed them entirely. Wasting time killing them all would only put her farther behind.
"I meant to say before, but you are way better at defeating the Vex than my crew was!" Failsafe said as Wren jumped down, boosting to land on another narrow wall section.
"I'm almost afraid to ask," Kiran said, "but Failsafe… what happened to your crew?"
"Only my Captain can access those memories. And he's super dead."
Wren came to a triangular door and on the other side, a cylindrical room with stone platforms like steps curving around the left side, down to a Vex portal.
"The Cayde-6 is just beyond that Vex gate," Failsafe informed.
"Won't we just get stuck like him?" Kiran asked.
"No! My judgment module is much more reliable than the Cayde units!"
The light coming from the gate was blinding against Wren's visor. Damn these helmets weren't what she was used to. Brought back all of the things she'd lost. The Better Devils was the only think that remained of her original gear after being kicked from Ghaul's ship but even now it felt less her own without the spade charm. She deeply regretted ripping it off but it seemed to have been many years ago now. She wrapped the remaining chain around her fist and stepped through the gate and into a cavern on the other side.
Her stomach lurched and she stumbled as she passed through, stopping to gain her bearings.
"We're through!" Kiran said. She didn't like how excited he sounded. Had he really not thought they'd come out on the other side? "We're okay!"
"Of course. The Cayde-6 is close!" Failsafe replied.
That was enough to get Wren moving again. She holstered the hand canon and charged ahead, jumping between narrow rock outcroppings that jutted from the cave walls, through tunnels so small she had to crouch, and into a pit where Kiran tried to yell at her to stop but she didn't. She leapt feet first into a pillar of light that dragged her down to a much lower level.
"Why would you do that?" he gasped as the light around them pulled them.
"He's close. I'm not letting him get teleported somewhere else on this stupid centaur."
Her boots hit the floor in the dead center of a stone Vex plate. The red glow of the core blazed in front of her and between them, Cayde. Caught in fractalized light.
He noticed her immediately and her heart was in her throat.
"Hey! Get me outta here," he called.
Before she could speak a huge Hydra materialized behind him and sent her retreating several steps to duck into cover behind a broken column.
"Is… is that a Hydra?" he asked but as she leaned out to shoot she could tell that he couldn't really turn around to see it. "Take care of that thing first!"
As much as she was happy to see him, there was a tiny guilty feeling that he almost seemed to be having fun. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time she'd seen him mask his emotions. Or maybe she was foolish to think that her death would have meant more than any other he'd shouldered.
Wren shook her head and ran to a better position. Cayde was complaining about how long it was taking but she had to be slow and methodical with only a hand cannon to aid her. Didn't help that with every shot from the Hydra the stone crumbled and a few time she was nearly knocked off her feet by the blasts.
"C'mon you got this!" he said and Wren held her breath.
"I feel like we're running out of time," she muttered.
"The Hydra shouldn't last much longer," Kiran eased. "There's a lot of pieces falling off… and the barrier is flickering. Just keep moving. If the Hydra is gone from here then maybe we can just camp out here and wait for him to be teleported back."
"Assuming he'd ever be teleported back at all."
Wren ran to the other side of the platform when the Hydra got too close and held her breath when it began to glide too close to Cayde. Sparks showered off it and across the fractalized light that encased Cayde.
"Hey, don't lead that thing over to me!"
A few more shots and the Hydra dropped on one side. It was becoming unable to float. One more and it gave out and crumbled into the abyss. She didn't wait for it to be gone before holstering the Better Devils and rushing to the edge. How was she supposed to reach him out there?
"Hurry, quick," Cayde said. "I dunno how long this loop is going to stick. It's a long story and it may look like I don't know what I'm doing, but I do and I— well okay, maybe not, but it doesn't matter. Kill the power source at the origin to break the loop and get me outta the portal system. You got it?"
Wren opened her mouth to speak but he vanished before her.
"No. No!" She picked up a piece of crumbled stone and launched it toward the core.
"Hey, don't give in now," Kiran said. "He told us what needs to be done and I mean, technically he's safe. He can't go off world to fight Ghaul and the teleporters should keep him popping up around Nessus. We'll get to that power source and shut it all down."
Wren let her shoulders drop and leaned her head back. When would this all be over? She was so close and yet… it wouldn't really make a difference, would it? The City had still fallen. They'd lost everything and so many had died. Getting Cayde back wouldn't stop the fight, they still had so much to do. There wouldn't be time to lay down beside him and sleep the way they did before. All those things they'd been through before seemed so simple, even at their most complicated. Like the invasion had pushed them through the veil and into different lives…
She took a deep breath.
"Failsafe? Tell me where I can find this power source."
"What is this place?" Wren asked, easing closer to shallow pool of glowing white liquid. Lines of light shifted across the surface like lightning.
"The Pools of Luminance," Failsafe happily replied. "Not the cleverest name but, whatever."
"Looks like the stuff in the Vex," Kiran commented.
Wren leaned into the tunnel to get a better view around the corner. There were stones here and there risen high enough over the surface that she could jump across from one to the other but the roof was very low and tangled with roots.
"It's called Radiolaria," Failsafe chipped in. "You know, mind fluid."
"Ikora says it's organic, which would mean that the Vex are not fully robot."
Wren hopped rock to rock, carefully picking her way around the tunnel, following the flow of the Radiolaria. She jumped through a carved hole in a wall that the fluid was draining under and into a room with a more solid floor, thankfully. Harpies flew down toward her and she quickly neutralized them with grenades and knives.
"I miss my scout rifle," she muttered. "When I get back I should find Banshee and…"
"What's wrong?"
"Banshee… I've been so busy, I didn't even—"
"It's okay. We've been surviving. A lot of things have slipped by."
"But Banshee—"
"Wren, you can slip away on me now. Cayde's here, remember? We have to keep moving."
She finally nodded and kept moving.
"I wonder what could have brought Cayde to Nessus in the first place," Kiran said.
"I know the answer," came Failsafe's cheery reply.
"One, stop listening in on us. And two… what's the answer."
"He made me promise not to tell!"
Wren felt that perhaps she knew but she didn't care to get into their conversation. Still, it was odd that he'd mention to Failsafe why he was here. Restlessness itched between her shoulders, and she was ready to be done with all of this. At least what Kiran had said before was correct. If Cayde was stuck in the loop, then it meant he wasn't out there trying to go after Ghaul. He was safe, for the time being. The hard thing would be convincing him to stay behind and let her hunt the Red Legion leader on her own.
The next big room held jagged Vex structures jutting toward the roof of the cavern. She eased through the dark space, across stone and metal alike. As much as she wanted to rush, something about this place felt heavy. Oppressive, but not by way of the Darkness. No sooner had she passed the center did Failsafe, a little too happily informed her that there would be trouble.
"Warning! Vex threat detected! They are blocking you path to the Cayde unit's teleporter. You will have to eliminate them."
"Ya know, your tone makes danger feel… well, not all that dangerous," Kiran said flatly.
"Whatever could you mean by that?"
"Urg, never mind."
"Kiran, what the hell is that?" Wren asked as the first line of Vex came through.
She hadn't seen the like of them before. They didn't have heads like Goblins and as they neared her with shaky steps, they let out loud, glitchy screams.
"Data calls them Fanatics. You'll wanna get away!"
Wren found herself surrounded by Fanatics. She jumped to the nearest pillar and scrambled on top.
"They'll blow up," Kiran further explained. "Should deal damage to other Vex. I think…"
A couple of shots into their midst and the whole unit exploded, showering the area with Radiolaria that continued to pulse and cling for much longer than a normal Vex. The ground where they stood arced with energy that even effected other Vex that wandered too close.
She continued to use this fact to take on the Vex, wave after wave with as few shots as possible. Ammo was running scarce and the few knives she had left wouldn't be retrievable if used against the Fanatics. When they were finally gone she waited several minutes until the strange arcing liquids disappeared.
"This place is just full of surprises," Wren sighed. At least the barrier that trapped her here was gone.
"I thought the wholesale destruction of Vex would make me miss my captain and crew less," Failsafe said, her voice cheerful as ever.
"Did it?" Kiran asked.
"It did not!"
Wren passed through where the barrier was, up some steps. And into a smaller room, circular, with something hovering in fractalized light on a pedestal in the middle.
"What's that?" she asked.
"A Vex teleporter," Kiran said. "Maybe we should take it?"
"You should," Failsafe replied. "The Cayde-6 will want it."
"For what?" Wren asked as Kiran prepared to transmat the device away.
"Again, I cannot say!"
The light crumbled and vanished and Cayde's voice emerged over comms.
"Whoo! Take that you scrap heaps! I'm out baby!" he whooped.
"Where are you?" Kiran asked.
"You did it!" Cayde yelled, as if he hadn't heard Kiran at all. "I'm out! I'm… I'm… wait, where am I?"
Failsafe chimed in. "Cayde-6, you are near my reactor core. Welcome to the Exodus Black! Where all your dreams come true."
"Cayde?" Wren said. "Stay put. I'm on the way."
No reply.
"I do not think he can hear you," Failsafe offered. "But I can act as a buffer! Cayde unit, help is on the way! Don't touch that."
Wren ran through the next teleporter. He was safe! He was out of that damned loop! With any luck, they could keep him in one place long enough that he wouldn't get in any more trouble. She wound her way back to the surface of Nessus, back to the crimson forests and she ran. As fast as she could without a Sparrow.
"Hey uh, Failsafe?" Cayde said. "Seems like the Fallen have the Vex all in a tizzy. And by tizzy I mean murderous rampage. I think I'll hunker down in the Exodus Black."
"As I stated, help is one the way! Also, my hull is in 108 pieces. Decks 1 through 20 are buried, my coolant systems are… I'm a mess."
"Oh, I know Failsafe. I know."
"Intruder alert!"
"Failsafe, it's me! The Cayde-6. Jeeze."
Wren finally caught sight of the Exodus Black. Or what was left of it. The area was scattered with pieces of the hull which were not crawling with Fallen. The ship itself was massive and knowing that many floors were buried only added to the enormous scale.
"We're going to have to sneak around," Wren said. "There's no way I have the ammo to do anything about this. There's a huge Gate Lord out here. I… I don't know what to do."
"Missing Rorick and that rocket launcher?" Kiran joked but his voice was strained.
"Always. Look, we can't get past that barrier up there without taking out the Gate Lord but I don't have the firepower for it. Maybe if I can get up there, I can draw fire toward the Gate Lord and the Fallen can do most of the work for me. I can Golden Gun it and be done with it. Kiran, you think you can find a way to monitor its… well, health I guess?"
"Hmm, considering how many Gate Lords we've taken down I think I have enough data to make a pretty accurate guess but since we don't know how much damage the Fallen did before we got here, it's not going to be as close as I'd like."
"It doesn't have to be perfect. I'll keep a semi clear line of view so you can monitor the situation until we can get to the barrier and into cover. Let me know then what it's looking like."
"Got it."
Wren scouted out the area and chose a path to the left side where the cliffs rose high over the area. The fighting was nonexistent there, with the Fallen having their backs to it, and there was only a short area where she might be spotted. Though, her ragged armor might help with a sort of camouflage. Either way, it was the best bet, and she was going to take it.
By the time she wound her way around and up to the barrier, the Gate Lord had been pushed back toward it by Fallen forces. Wren hunkered down behind a boulder and waited, shielding her head from debris that rained down from over the top of the barrier.
"Even after we get that Gate Lord down, the Fallen are still a problem."
"I can handle them better funneling them into a smaller space. We'll fall back to the Exodus Black and maybe Cayde can help us. Is the Gate Lord ready yet?"
"Maybe?" Kiran sighed. "I think so?"
"If the Golden Gun doesn't finish it, the Fallen will. I'm not worried about it." Wren got to her knees and shot the huge Minotaur in the back until she got its attention enough for it to turn a little and expose its glowing Radiolaria center. The glass was already cracked and some of the fluid leaked out.
The heat of the Golden Gun surged through her and she took her shots, shattering the center. Fallen screamed from below as Radiolaria poured out over them. The Gate Lord shuddered and took a step forward to balance itself, but it was too late. Its eye flickered and went out before the thing even hit the ground.
Wren darted for the barrier before it was down, passing the instant that it did. The Fallen might be distracted for a time, pulling the Gate Lord to pieces, but they were efficient.
"How long do you think that'll hold them?" Wren asked.
"Dunno," Kiran admitted. "They might just want to dismantle the rest of the Exodus Black out there and we'll only have to deal with the ones that are rushing Cayde. Assuming he doesn't do that himself. I can't see him just sitting around and letting the Fallen bully him."
"The Fallen are, in fact, bullying him," Failsafe quipped. "Like, really bad."
"Shhh, don't tell them that," Cayde hissed.
"Stand back, Cayde unit, I shall engage the defensive shield!"
"Nice one! The Fallen can't get to us now. That's… that's right though they… they can't right? Get to us?"
Wren was panting by the time she reached the area where Failsafe had led them. Most of the ship here was gone or in pieces to fragmented that it they were hardly visible through the vegetation. A pool of clear water had formed in what was left of the crash site and Fallen were thick in the area.
"Uh, Failsafe could you relay the message to whoever is coming that they really need to hurry. The Fallen say they wanna rip my horn off my face. My beautiful, beautiful horn. Then again… my Eliksni is pretty rusty…"
"Intruder alert!" Failsafe chirped.
"It's us!" Kiran yelled.
It was enough to get the Fallen's attention and a group of them rushed her, meeting halfway to the reactor core, which Wren could see was blocked off by Failsafe's security measures. That was good enough for Wren. It seemed to be holding up fine despite a large Captain firing away at it.
Dregs and Shanks swarmed the area and, in her haste, Wren took a few shots to the chest before ducking for cover. Her heart pounded in her ears and she threw a Solar grenade to give herself a moment to recuperate. Her hand clutched at the armor over her heart which was seared black and smoking. Underneath she could feel the sharp pain from the shots.
"You okay?" Kiran asked.
His healing warmth washed over the wounds but she was still out of breath and could only nod slowly.
"Most of the Dregs and Shanks are down. You have a few approaching from the left."
Wren shot around the edge of cover and dropped the two Dregs. The pain subsided in her chest but her legs still ached from running when she forced herself to her feet and out to face the Captain. A few rounds in its back caught its attention and it roared as it turned to face her.
Scorch Cannon rounds blazed past her, one clipping her thigh before erupting into flame on the ground where she'd been standing. She took advantage of a slower fire rate to unload the Better Devils into the soft places where the Captain's armor wasn't as fortified. A few bullets sank into the creases where the arms met the body and the Captain struggled with the weight of the Scorch Cannon.
"Keep going!" Kiran urged.
The Captain dropped to one knee and the cannon it the ground. It raised it once more just as Wren snapped a new clip into the hand cannon and took aim. They fired at the same time and Wren close her eyes and turned her head as the flames licked at her helmet, knocking her to the ground.
For a moment she thought she was dead. The ringing in her ears became skull splittingly loud and the world was pitch black. The first think she heard again was Kiran but she felt his healing Light before she could open her eyes and see him again.
"Cayde?" she whispered.
"We're almost to him. C'mon, Wren, you gotta get up."
Dizzy, she sat up. "The… the Captain?"
"Dead. You did it."
She looked over to where the Captain stared at her with glassy eyes. Blood and ether seeped from bullet wounds and the Scorch Cannon lay beside the corpse. Other smaller units retreated, not wanting to take chances against a Guardian. They'd likely go back and tell their superiors that one with Light was still roaming around. With any luck, it'd keep them at bay for a time.
Wren stood, leaning against a wall to steady herself.
"He doesn't know…" she muttered.
"I don't think so, no. But he will. And Sundance…"
"I'm trying."
She righted herself and Kiran transmatted the Vex teleporter to the ground at her feet. This was what Cayde was after? Failsafe said he'd want it. She picked it up and made her way through the now open doorway where the barrier had been.
"You saved us!" Failsafe praised. "New captain registered. Welcome aboard captain!"
Wren remained silent as she entered the ship. She moved through, past Failsafe which followed her with a giant red optic, and into the room where Cayde had to be.
Sundance gently crept over the top of a barrier, but Cayde put a hand on her and pulled her back down before popping up himself. Wren's throat burned tears pricked her eyes from behind her helmet. Still, he had no idea it was her. He climbed up to the top of the barrier, which was a ramp that now lead nowhere, and Wren could see the bright red scarf tied to his arm. It was clean but tattered. He'd had it the whole time. It was like a hand clenched tight into her heart, twisting its fingers around it and crushing.
"So it's true," he said. "The Light found its way back to you. I mean, not that I'm jealous or nothin' just… take it easy out there. You're making me look bad. What cha got there?"
Wren held up the teleporter, then tossed it to him. He stared down at her from a ramp, skeptically, then put the teleporter on the floor. Wren and Kiran exchanged a glance. Cayde had no idea. Kiran cleared his throat and changed his voice slightly.
"What are you planning on doing?" he asked.
Sundance shifted, tilted, blinked. She knew. She had to. But she doubted.
"I'm gonna get up close and personal with Ghaul. Put a bullet in his head… maybe get a sandwich. Gotta work out some kinks first. Fun fact, Vex tech isn't all that intuitive."
"You can't do this alone," Wren said.
"The hell I—" he froze.
She could see his demeanor shift. His head slowly turned, and she pulled off her helmet, letting her black curls fall in a mess around her face. There was no stopping the tears now.
"Sugarbird?"
The word left his mouth with a reverence she'd never heard from him before, like the prayer. He took one step toward her. Sundance and Kiran swirled around one another like a little tornado, chasing one another around, clicking their shells together and whispering among themselves.
"I finally found you," she said, tears stinging her throat.
Cayde closed the distance and wrapped her in an embrace so tight she felt her ribs might crack. She clung to him, feeling it wasn't close enough, and they sank to the floor. He completely engulfed her, folding her up like they had to occupy the same space. His shoulders shook and she buried her face in his cloak and cried.
"I thought you were dead," he muttered into her shoulder.
"Kiran found me right after you left and brought me back. Holiday told me you were going to try to defeat Ghaul by yourself and I had to find you before you…" she leaned back and touched his face, tracing every plate. "I was afraid I'd never see you again. You couldn't have survived this."
Cayde leaned into her palm, his eyes dimming as he stared into some far-off place. The fun-loving attitude he'd put on was gone and this look alone spoke volumes.
"You wouldn't have done that, would you?"
"I thought he was responsible for your death. I had to do something."
"You don't have your Light. What if you didn't come back?"
"I didn't plan on comin' back," he said softly.
"You don't mean that."
Cayde sat back and pulled her into his lap. He draped his arms around her and she leaned into his shoulder.
"I'm old and tired," he said. "Been through a hell of a lot and with you gone I just… I'm ready to go. I was ready to go."
Wren clung to him, taking in the sounds within him, the ones that let her know this wasn't a dream. He was alive. Here and now. She'd been so close to losing him for good.
"What's next?" she asked.
"I'm going to defeat Ghaul, but this time, I promise I'm comin' back. I'm comin' back and when I do we're going to start over. Better than before. You'll see."
"You can't. I have my Light back. Just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I can't let you go."
"There's a lot more to this than you and me, kid. You know that."
She rose to her knees and put her hands on his shoulders to stare him in the eye. "Cayde, you're not going. Please just trust me to do this."
"I do trust you."
"Then let me protect you."
His eyes shifted between hers and he let out a sigh. He wasn't convinced. "But if you go…"
"Don't. You know I have better chances of coming back than you do. Please Cayde… I want to protect you. Let me."
He leaned forward to touch his forehead to hers and she cupped his face and kissed his cheek. Reluctantly he nodded and returned the kiss, showering her in them before wrapping her in tight again.
"So you will come back with me?" she asked. "Zavala says he needs you and-"
"Woah woah woah… hold on. Zavala… said he needs me?"
Wren smiled through tears.
"You heard him say that? Please tell me you recorded it."
She shook her head. "I was too focused on finding you."
Cayde wiper her tears away. "Hey, no more of that. You found me. We're together again and… and things are gonna be better now. You'll see. We'll beat Ghaul's ass and rebuild. Besides, Ikora heard it right? That'd be enough proof for me."
Wren's smile faded. "Cayde… she's gone. No one's heard from her since the City fell. Zavala is on Titan. He sent me from there to find the two of you but I wasn't able to track Ikora down. Frankly, if Failsafe hadn't boosted Sundance's SOS, I wouldn't have found you either."
Cayde picked at a place on Wren's hip, his gaze drifting off again. "Io. If Ikora is alive and able, she'd go to Io to look for answers."
"Then that's where I'm headed." Wren slid her arms around his neck again, hiding her face in his cowl. "I just… I need a few more minutes."
He exhaled and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. "I'll give you all the time you need and then some and it won't be enough. I just hope I don't wake up and find out this was all a dream. I dunno if my ol' Exo heart could take it."
Wren shook her head. "If it is a dream, I'd stay in it but this… this is so much better."